


Makes Your Heart Beat Faster

by Trams



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Romance, Smitten Billy Rocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 20:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12175803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trams/pseuds/Trams
Summary: For the Mag7Week prompt: TogetherThese are the things everyone should know about Billy: He’s reckless; he’s impulsive; he falls fast and hard for people; and he is head over heels in love with Goodnight RobicheauxOr: the one where Billy is absolutely smitten with Goody, and there’s no other plot.





	Makes Your Heart Beat Faster

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was insprired by two tumblr post one calling for more smitten Billy (i did my best), and one of [fanart of Goody giving Billy a hairpin](http://kirayamidemon.tumblr.com/post/162441363295).
> 
> Huge thanks to [Fontainebleau](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fontainebleau/pseuds/Fontainebleau) for for looking over the French for me and also pointing out a few historical details. I ignored only one of those suggestions so that's on me, not her. She's awesome, I'm only historically accurate when it suits my purposes.

Billy’s father had used to call him impulsive, and he had probably been probably right. His sister had once introduced him as her _“reckless younger brother”_ but that had been after the time he had fallen off a roof while trying to jump between two buildings. Or maybe she had been thinking about the time he dived head first off a cliff and down into a river. He’d also gotten into a fight with a boy his sister’s age, he’d been thoroughly beaten, but after it his sister had given him treats and hugged him.

Perhaps he was a bit reckless and impulsive, with a very healthy amount of curiosity according to him, his family would have disagreed. Both his mother and his grandmother had told him repeatedly that he was too curious, always getting into places he shouldn’t be, and that his curiosity would get him into trouble. He had on more than one occasion proven their statement to be absolutely true.

But if Billy were to pick the two traits that had led him to America it would be his impulsiveness and curiosity. Those two traits had also played a part when he decided to ride with Goodnight Robicheaux.

“On–” Goody panted beside Billy.

The barn around them was completely ablaze now, the flames consuming up the wood and straw at an alarming rate. The heat unbearable and the smoke thick and heavy in their lungs. 

Billy coughed.

Climbing up had probably been a mistake, but the doors on the ground floor had been barred from the outside, and when they had tried to break them down, people had fired at the doors from outside.

“On second thought,” Goody said, and coughed. “Maybe it was a mistake to encourage you to taunt them so, mon petit tigre.”

“You don’t say,” Billy said, deadpan. He didn’t admit that he would have done it without Goody’s encouragement, they had started taunting him first. 

He hadn’t expected the men he had so roundly humiliated to lock him and Goody in the barn they were sleeping in, or setting fire to it. A lot of needless destruction just to get back at him for a couple of bruised egos. Though perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised by white men by now.

They came to a stop where the hayloft hit the wall, and there were two doors which Billy and Goody pushed open. Outside was a small hill of horse shit.

“No,” Goody said. “No, you are crazy,” he protested.

“No other choice, Goody.”

“If we survive the fall we will be covered in manure!”

“Got a better idea?” Billy asked, looking at Goody who didn’t say anything.

Billy grabbed Goody’s sleeve and pulled him with him as he jumped. He let go when they were in the air, closing his mouth tight and trying to ignore the smell as they fell down onto the soft hill. They rolled down to the bottom of it, and Billy scrambled into a crouched position looking for Goody, who sat up with a groan. 

Billy scrunched up his nose and frowned, having reached a realization. He didn’t know French, at least not as much as Goody, but he was picking up the occasional word now and then, and:

“Did you call me a tiny tiger?” Billy asked incredulously.

~

Billy didn’t trust people easily, but every now and again he would meet someone who surprised him and his curiosity kicked. Along with his impulsiveness it had made him say yes when Goody asked. He’d been curious about the man and even more curious where his proposal would take him. But even before he asked Billy’s curiosity had been awakened by the way Goody had reacted to Billy in that fight. Awe had been so clear in both is voice and his face, he had even complimented Billy on his fighting. Billy had been intrigued by this man who didn’t look at him with suspicion, fear, or hatred, just open honest awe. Billy had said yes to his proposal and very soon had come to trust Goodnight Robicheaux.

“I said small, not tiny,” Goody said – as if the there was a significant difference between the two – while they crept behind the burning barn. There were more voices shouting now, the rest of the town waking up and discovering the fire. Billy guessed the men who had been trying their hand at arson had run away.

Billy and Goody had managed to brush off the worst of the shit, with some grumbling from Goody, and were making their way towards the corrals, fortunate that no horses had been inside the barn at night, the nights in southern Arizona in July were not exactly cold.

All their tack – besides their saddle bags which were probably ash by now – had been left by the pen holding their two horses. They hurried to saddle them, and soon were off in a rush to get away from the town.

A couple of miles south after riding hard, they stopped by a creek, letting their horses drink a little before grazing while Billy and Goody splashed their faces with water.

“No respectable establishment is going to want our business,” Goody said, and looked at their ruined clothing. Then he looked up at Billy, his face softening.

“Are you alright?” He asked, concerned, and that right there, Goody’s concern, that was where the trust had grown from, the trust and later affection, because Billy looked at Goody now, clothing disheveled and dirty, face a bit flushed, and his blue eyes sparkling, and Billy felt this bright spark of warm fondness in his chest, and he smiled a little.

“I’m fine,” Billy said. Goody gave him a bright smile and said something in rapid French that Billy had no chance of keeping up with much less try and guess what he said. Not that it mattered because the way Goody smiled, making the corners of his eyes crease, combined with the French speaking had Billy’s knees weaken.

“You?” Billy asked, trying to mask how much effect Goody had on him.

“Besides the ruined clothes and the very real worry that my nose has been ruined and the world will forever be tainted with the scent of horse shit?”

“Yes, besides that,” Billy said. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” Goody said. “Now that we’ve established that I will probably survive, and that most importantly, you are alright. We can leave.”

~

Before Goody, Billy had never spared a single thought to how a manager would act, mostly because he hadn’t had reason to consider it, but he sometimes suspected Goody had even less of an idea. The thing was, Goody had treated Billy as a friend from the get go. They shared everything from prize money to food and drink equally. After the first month there were things Goody could say which to anyone else out of context would make no sense but which made Billy smile, or if they were alone, laugh out loud. 

Goody cared about Billy and wasn’t hesitant to make this obvious. It was hard not to be swept away by the affection Goody so freely displayed, and Billy hadn’t exactly resisted it very hard. He had happily been swept away to see where it would lead him. 

Life with Goody could sometimes be a bit like sitting in a boat on a rushing river, after losing the oars. Something Billy had experienced, more than once. The third time he had been quite drunk. Goody had also been very drunk. Fortunately they had hit a bend in the river where the boat had gotten stuck against the bank, or else Goody had said he feared they would have been washed out into the gulf.

Even if Goody’s relationship with Billy wasn’t how he had expected it to be, there was no doubt Goody was good at being his manager. He’d drum up interest among the people in town, getting a lot of people interested in not just competing but betting as well. Goody always tried to make it an entertaining spectacle, and part of that seemed to be his elaborate introductions of Billy before it all began, when they had drawn enough of a crowd. Billy wasn’t sure he needed the introduction, or at least not something so over the top. Goody seemed to really like doing them though. Standing in the middle of all the attention, with speeches aggrandizing Billy’s skills, experiences, virtues. Goody had no respect for truth in these speeches, always embellishing or straight up making things up out of thin air. Billy didn’t mind, he got lost in the way Goody spoke, the way he wove words together in a rhythm that would have convinced Billy he had actually done the things Goody claimed he had done.

Billy was standing there head still swimming with the way Goody talked about him, and even now he could still hear Goody’s voice, lower now as he was talking to someone in the audience. He was so distracted he almost forgot to draw his gun at the signal, but in a fraction of a second his muscle memory remembered what he was supposed to do, before his brain caught up.

His bullet was still the first to hit the target, and he glanced at Goody who smiled approvingly. He missed a couple of times deliberately just to keep the audience on their toes and betting, and then finished by cleaning up, drawing the fastest and hitting every time. Every time he beat someone Goody would come jumping in calling out for someone else willing to challenge Billy. It was a performance they had rehearsed and played out time after time, they could do it in their sleep.

After when they had their money and Goody was counting it, leaning against a fence post, and Billy was re-loading his gun, standing close enough that he could listen to the way Goody murmured under his breath and the scrape of the bills. Behind them their audience trickled away, most of them either sore because they lost the quick draw, or because they lost money betting.

Hopefully none of them would be coming after them in their sleep. Billy had started to wonder if perhaps it was a mistake to stay the night in the same town they did their act in. He had done the silent and mysterious oriental thing this time though, so hopefully without his lack of taunting, the losers could get over themselves.

“So, how’d we do?” Billy asked as Goody reached the last of the bills.

“We? I think you mean you, mon tresor,” Goody said with a crooked smile. Billy frowned and mouthed ‘tresor’ but he wasn’t sure about that one. Goody put on the hat he had collected their winnings in and handed half the money to Billy. Their fingers brushing, sending a jolt through his body, and he quickly put his share of the money in his pocket. Looking away.

“You did very well,” Goody said.

They had cleaned up before the competition, but they still looked dirtier than someone who had been out on the road for a while usually did. Billy felt more self conscious than usual, stepping inside the town’s boarding house. Goody seemed to have decided to hide any discomfort about his own attire, by simply ignoring it, and plastering on his charm. Billy had seen Goody charm a lot of people, there was something about his smile, his voice the accent that increased its efficiency. Out of nowhere he thought of Goody as a young twenty year old, back in Louisiana, women hanging onto his every word, and then he remembered Goody had been in the war at that age.

There was a desk to the left of the door, and Goody walked up to it.

“Enchante, mon cher,” with a smile Goody greeted the young woman behind the desk. Taking her hand and kissing the back of her knuckles, while never breaking eye contact. The woman flushed bright red. Billy, who had cultivated a stoic personality to hide behind, and who didn’t get easily flustered felt for the young woman. He wasn’t sure he would be able to withstand it if Goody ever turned the full force of his charm on him. He shivered a little at just the thought of it, something hot in his stomach as he realized he wished Goody would turn his charm on him.

He tuned back in, in time to hear the woman say there were bathing facilities in the basement.

“Splendid,” Goody said.

“And we can wash and repair your clothes.”

“I fear only fire can cleanse these garments,” Goody said, “we would love to take you up on that offer, but you see we lost our bags in a tragic accident and with them our change of clothes. Which means we would be running around naked if we handed over the clothes off our backs.”

The woman gave Goody a not so subtle once over, and didn’t look like she would mind. Billy felt a stab of annoyed anger, and had to fight to keep a scowl off his face.

“We’ll just take the room for now,” Goody said pleasantly.

“Only one room?”

“Light on funds at the moment,” Goody said. Billy didn’t frown at Goody lying.

They made it up to their room where they didn’t exactly have a lot of things to drop off.

“You should head down to the baths,” Goody said turning to Billy. “I’ll go out and get us some new clothes, and then join you there.”

“I can do that,” Billy said.

“All I’ve done today is talk, and talk. It’s not like that’s cost me a lot of energy.”

“It’s not exactly exhausting proving I’m better at not just hitting a target, but doing it faster than every man in this town,” Billy said, and almost didn’t sound boastful.

Goody’s smile at this was so delighted it was dazzling, Billy’s breath caught in his throat and his heart jumped.

“You do have a point in that,” Goody said. “But that only means you’ve more than deserved a break. Go ahead cher, I will join you shortly.”

~

Falling for Goody had come as a surprise. He couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when he realized, but it had happened not long after they started riding together, and now months later Billy still felt giddy whenever Goody smiled at him, praised him, put a hand on his shoulder, or generally paid attention to him. He teased Goody all the time for his sometimes flowery, poetic speech and yet couldn’t get enough of listening to him.

He wanted to tell Goody about his feelings, open up his heart and lay it all bare for him to see, but it was at the same time a terrifying prospect. As well as he knew Goody, he couldn’t predict how he would react. Sometimes it felt as if Goody was right there on the same page as Billy, and then some other time he would see Goody talking to a woman, all soft smiles and gentle words. However he never seemed to go off to do anything with these women, and he never talked about it with Billy, it was confusing.

The boarding house basement was dimly lit, the three narrow windows near the low ceiling didn’t let in a lot of light, and a single kerosene lamp hung on a chain from the ceiling in the middle of the room, when Billy opened the door the draft made it sway slightly, casting moving shadows on the wall. Three porcelain bathtubs standing by three of the walls, and the fourth wall, where Billy had entered, was occupied by a large stove, where Billy heated up water. 

He worked up a bit of a sweat hauling buckets, and soon shed the – at this point rather disgusting – clothes he was wearing, leaving them in a pile on the floor near the bathtub, rather than on the bench fastened to the wall next to the tub. He sank down in the water, leaning his head back against the edge and groaned in satisfaction.

The door opened, Billy’s head whipped towards it. He had picked the tub at the far wall from the door, and he tensed, but it was only Goody who poked his head inside, smiling when he spotted Billy.

“There you are,” Goody said.

“Took your time,” Billy said. Goody gave him a look and came inside the room, closing the door behind him before walking across the room to the bathtub Billy had chosen beneath one of the windows, carrying a bundle of clothes. Half of which he dumped on the bench.

He stopped next to Billy’s tub, hesitating he reached out, his fingertips brushed the edge of the tub.

“You look like you are enjoying yourself,” Goody said.

“Mmmm,” Billy hummed. “It’s so good.” He stretched himself, arms over his head, and lifted his legs out of the water stretching them out as well, with a little groan of pleasure. Feeling a thrill go through him at the way Goody’s eyes followed the movement of his legs, before he let them sink back into the water.

Goody moved away and started filling up his own tub, Billy watched him lazily from half closed eyes, pretending he was dozing in the water. Wishing he’d been smart enough to bring his cigarettes.

He opened his eyes a bit more when Goody stood with his back to Billy and started getting undressed. He should probably feel bad about looking, especially since they’d so often changed clothes in front of each other nudity was just a casual thing between them at this point. It was hard not to watch him though, feeling that curl of attraction in his stomach. Goody stood there almost completely naked except for boots and pants pooled at his feet. His back straight and a column of pale naked skin, down to his ass. Billy licked his lips. Goody twisted a little when he lifted his leg to remove his booth, giving Billy a view of his strong chest, his stomach and the trail of hair leading down to his crotch hidden by the raised leg. 

Goody was an attractive man. Billy had probably realized that the moment they met if he was honest with himself. That smile, the sparkling eyes, strong hands, hair Billy wished he could run his fingers through, and now in front of him, all that naked pale skin just begging to be kissed and marked. He could feel his cock stirring, and he took a deep breath before sinking down into the water.

He stayed under for as long as he could, until it felt like his lungs were going to give out, and then broke the water surface. Once he’d wiped the water out of his eyes he looked over at Goody who was in the other tub now, looking at Billy with an amused expression.

“What?” Billy asked.

“Nothing,” Goody said. “You can hold your breath for a real long time,” Goody said.

“I have many talents,” Billy said, playing up the cockiness. Catching Goody’s eye as he looked at Billy. Something heated about his gaze. Billy held it for a little longer. Running his tongue over his wet bottom lip, before tilting his head back on the edge and looking up at the ceiling. He let out a huff of air.

“Should have brought the cigarettes down here,” he mumbled.

“I picked them up,” Goody said. Billy looked over at him. “Saw them in the room and assumed you’d forgotten about them. They are in my things,” he pointed at the bench.

“You went up to the room before coming here?” Billy asked. He’d assumed Goody would have come straight to the baths. He watched Goody rise out of the bath enough so that he could twist himself, showing off off water slick skin in the warm glow from the lamp, as he reached for the bundle on the bench.

“Had to drop off a few other things first,” Goody said. 

He sat down again, put a cigarette between his lips and lit it. He took a drag, and then held it between his long fingers which Billy had watched play piano once and had to look away, because all he had been able to think about was having those fingers on his body.

“Come and get it.”

Without hesitation Billy heaved himself out of the tub and padded across the cold stone floor, only too late was he aware that he was still half hard, but at that point it was too late to worry about and he just continued. His eyes directly on Goody and not the cigarette. Goody was watching him, and cold and hot flashes, unrelated to him having gotten out of the bath, kept passing through his body. He took the cigarette from Goody’s outstretched hand, without taking his eyes off of Goody’s face. 

He turned slowly and padded back to the tub. He sat down, took a deep drag of it, breathing in the smoke and feeling it settle him. He closed his eyes.

He took another drag from it, and seconds or maybe minutes later. His grasp on the concept of time starting to slip. He heard a sloshing sound, and then wet feet padding across the floor. He opened his eyes halfway and watched Goody come walking across the floor. To prevent himself from licking his lips at the sight of Goody’s cock swinging between his legs he put the cigarette between his lips again – which could possibly be an even more obvious tell, he wasn’t sure – and lifted his gaze so that he was watching Goody’s face as he stopped next to Billy. 

Billy looked him in the eyes, his own gaze challenging. Goody reached out slowly, his fingers brushing against Billy’s lips as he plucked the cigarette from Billy’s mouth, grinned happily in a way that made Billy’s stomach flip, and then padded back to his tub.

Billy gave him two drags on it, and then heaved himself up. He was a little bit unsteady walking over, but he focused on the way Goody was leaning his head on the edge of the tub watching Billy, eyes a little glazed, but Billy could have sworn his expression looked adoring, or possibly reminiscent of the way a dog looks at their favoured master.

Billy stopped next to Goody who had the cigarette in his mouth again. He was about to reach out for it when Goody moved shockingly quickly and surprisingly coordinated. He pulled Billy down into the tub with him, water sloshed over the sides, and Billy yelped in surprise. His hand accidentally brushed Goody’s dick and Billy scrambled to the other side of the tub, a little bit wide eyed. 

Goody was laughing, a deep joyful sound making him shake and the water sloshing a bit, their legs knocking together as Billy tried to find a comfortable way to sit. The extinguished cigarette butt was floating on the water surface.Goody collected himself with a hiccup and grinned at Billy who had a hard time staying serious in the face of the pure joy on Goody’s face.

“What did you do that for?” Billy asked, a little surprised and confused. Goody shrugged, and plucked the cigarette from the water and flicked it to the floor.

“Will be easier to share if we are closer,” Goody said. Before he twisted halfway out of the tub, showing off the top of his butt to BIlly, close up the skin was wet and pink from the heat and Billy had the sudden urge to lean forward and bite and suckle at the skin, and he had to close his eyes in order to resist that impulse.

Goody sat back down a moment later, new cigarette in his mouth which he lit, took a drag of and then handed over to Billy who eagerly took it. He definitely needed to be much higher if he was going to sit this close to a naked Goody

“Besides,” Goody said. “You got here before me, so my water’s probably hotter than yours by now.”

He was right about that and Billy nodded, the smoke calming him again, but doing nothing about his half hard cock.

Silence descended on them and they sat there for a while smoking, and Billy felt himself relax further, close to dozing off, the water hot and wonderful, and every now again his leg slid against Goody’s, the friction not in any way close to getting him off, but it did help with the warm curl of pleasure at the pit of his stomach.

They finished their second cigarette much slower, time stretching out like a rubber band and slow like honey. They finished the cigarette, but both of them too relaxed to bother with a new one, instead they just sat there in the water. Heads tilted back to look up at the ceiling, waiting until the water got cold.

Billy managed to get himself dressed on his own, but walking back to their room they kept bumping into each other and giggling – Billy was desperately hoping no one saw them – and for the last bit they leaned on each other. As soon as they were in their room Goody dropped down on his bed, pushing aside the brand new bag he had put there. Billy crawled into his own bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

When he woke it was with a gasp and he sat up. He stared wide eyed around himself, it was pitch black in the room, and outside the window. Still late at night then. He’d had a nightmare, but as his breathing calmed down he couldn’t remember what exactly it had been. He laid down again, and just as he laid down his eyes had gotten used enough to the darkness he could make out the lump that was Goody in the other bed, and he remembered what had happened in the baths. Feeling his blood rush to his face. Had all of that really happened? Or had that been a dream too? 

~

A few months after they had started riding together Billy had fallen ill, nothing more than a simple cold. They had ridden to the nearest city, paid for a room, and stayed inside. Goody fussing and fretting, talking about consumption, and pneumonia, and yellow fever. Billy lay in bed, sniffling and coughing, freezing one second and sweating the next. And when Goody wasn’t fussing he would sit on the other bed and read to Billy. It had been, a surprisingly pleasant time all things considered. It had happened early enough in their acquaintance that it told him a lot about Goody’s character.

The second time Billy woke up it was morning, and what woke him was Goody repeating his name. When he opened his eyes, blurry from sleep, Goody said, “mon beau au bois dormant,” Goody said, and Billy frowned having no idea what he just said. Goody continued in English, “I fetched breakfast.”

Billy dragged himself out of bed, feeling unusually tired. He looked down at himself and noticed he was still in the clothes Goody had bought and which he had pulled on after the bath. A white shirt, and black pinstriped pants. 

He sat down on the chair next to the table and looked at Goody sitting across from him, who was smiling at him, a soft gentle smile, which made his stomach twist. Billy looked down at the plates instead, and noticed Goody had been given twice as much as Billy, besides the different amount of beans there were four sausages on his plate compared to Billy’s two, and the man had been given a much large piece of the soft bread which looked like it had just come out of the oven, a generous dollop of butter on top of it starting to melt.

Billy quirked an eyebrow and looked up at Goody again.

“I see the girl downstairs really took a shine to you,” Billy said. Goody frowned, confused and looked down at the plates.

“Ah, I see what you mean.” He shrugged and looked back at Billy. “You want some more?”

Billy was going to say no, but at that moment his stomach rumbled quite loudly, and Goody laughed, lifting his plate he pushed some of the beans onto Billy’s plate and deposited the extra sausages there as well, before he tore a piece of the bread off and placed it on Billy’s plate.

They ate and talked like normal, and Billy wondered if the events the previous evening had just been a dream, a hallucination brought on by the opium. That thought left a sour note of disappointment in the back of his throat.

Riding out of town later, Goody pulled out a small green, bound book from his saddlebag. The thing about Goody was, the man read everything he could get his hands on. He devoured the written word and didn’t seem to have a preference for something in particular, any book would do. In larger cities, he would often pick up a new book, which he then left in some other city once he was done with it, sometimes leaving one and picking up another if available.

“How about some words to accompany us as we set off, huh?”

“Where did you get that?” Billy asked, curiously. “I would have hardly thought the general store to sell a book of poetry.”

“I didn’t get it there obviously,” Goody said, and Billy raised an eyebrow in question. 

“I may have bemoaned the loss of the previous book I was reading in front of the young lady at the boarding house, and she kindly gifted me this.”

“Shameless,” Billy said. Though he was a bit disappointed about the loss of the previous book, he would have liked to know the ending. “You could have waited till we made it to a city instead of taking hers.”

“If you don’t want me to read out loud I can just read it in silence,” Goody said. 

Billy wasn’t sure what he had said to imply he wanted that, but he knew Goody would and could. It wasn’t as if he needed to steer his horse, the gelding he rode would happily follow Billy’s horse to the end of the world – and Billy tried not to think of how he would follow Goody just as loyally – and Billy would keep an eye on where they were going.

“No,” Billy protested, perhaps a little too fast. “I don’t mind that much,” he smiled.

Billy didn’t mind at all. He enjoyed it when Goody read to him. Goody smiled at him, and Billy’s chest filled with warmth. 

He listened to the cadence of Goody’s voice as he started. Goody never just read the words, he always made sure to change his pitch, putting extra emphasis on certain words.

Goody also felt the need to analyze out loud, always giving the poem a read through at first, and then picking it apart, Billy loved listening to it, but even more loved watching how enthusiastic he would get about it. There were a lot of hand gestures, and his face would light up, and he’d seem just as thrilled to talk about what he loved, as he did about the things he criticised. He’d bring up references to all kinds of other works, some Billy had heard of, either before or because Goody had told him. And he always answered Billy’s questions, seemed to welcome them in fact.

It made Billy happy to listen to Goody’s enthusiasm whenever he talked about books, writing, words in general. He didn’t always follow what he talked about, but he was always entertained. A fond warmth burning in his chest. He smiled at Goody, who was engrossed in the book and didn’t see his smile.

That afternoon after a day of poetry they made camp on the rocky and sandy ground, with tall rocks at their backs, inside a semicircle of low shrubs, and several tall cactuses a little distance away. The desert directly in front and to their sides flat, and with good sightlines.

The day had been hot, and the temperature unlikely to drop much during the night, but they made a fire for cooking, and Billy tried to sit further away from it while eating to cool down after the day’s heat.

“I’ve got something for you,” Goody said when he had finished his dinner. Billy only just putting the last piece of bread in his mouth.

“Huh?” Billy made a noise, while Goody got up and walked over to the bags. The sun was still only setting, giving everything a warm golden glow. 

“What?” Billy asked, when he’d chewed and swallowed. Goody came back carrying a rectangular box, which he handed to Billy who took it and looked at Goody as he sat back down on the other side of the fire.

“Why?” Billy asked, and watched something strange pass over Goody’s face before he smiled again.

“Open it.”

Billy stroked a hand over the box, smooth unadorned dark, ebony or walnut wood. Goody would occasionally give him things, usually it was a new knife, useful and nothing special – though Billy treasured them – handed over without fanfare, never in a box. This felt like Goody making it a _thing_ and he was unsure why.

He opened it and on a dark red cushion lay two hairpins made out of dark, almost black, wood, much like the box they came in. They were thicker in one end and tapered off into a sharp looking point, and there was something drawn on the thicker end which flashed gold when they caught the firelight. Billy lifted up one of them, holding it up he could see a small tiger painted onto it in yellow, the stripes the wood cutting into the drawing. A small tiger, he thought, looking at the hairpin, _Goody’s petit tigre,_ he smiled a little amused to himself. He twirled it between his fingers, it wasn't hollow, but wasn't particularly heavy. He put it down again, smile slipping away he looked at Goody curiously, Goody who was watching him intensely.

“I just– I’ve seen you– You’ve said your hair gets in the way sometimes,” Goody said. “Do you not like them?” Goody asked. Voice carefully neutral, but worry in his eyes.

“They are lovely,” Billy said, because they were. He just, had never considered using something like it.

“But,It’s not your thing,” Goody said slowly. He sighed. “I just. I saw them and thought you could use them.”

“Of course I can use them, but–” he saw the dejected look creeping over Goodnight’s face, and he looked down at them. With the way Goody acted, the way they were presented to him, it felt like this was more than just a simple, useful, gift.

“Why?” Billy asked.

“You don’t have to use them if you don’t want them,” Goody said.

“That’s not,” Billy protested. He looked up. “They are nice,” he looked up at Goody, questioning.

“You deserve nice things,” Goody said.

Billy picked one up again. Twirling it between his fingers, glancing at Goody and noticing he was looking at Billy’s hand.

“Will you help putting it in?” Billy asked.

“Yes,” Goody said, voice low and he smiled as he shuffled around the fire to sit behind Billy, sitting so close that Billy could feel his heat radiating off of him. 

Billy thought about the evening before, and about how it probably wasn’t a dream after all. He wasn’t sure he deserved nice things, but it warmed his heart that Goody thought so. That Goody thought so highly of Billy all the time. That Billy was who he had chosen to ride with, to be the one holding all his secrets, all his dreams.

He felt Goody’s hands in his hair, gathering it up, running fingers through it, untangling a knot before pulling it together twisting it into a bun. Billy handed the hairpin over his shoulder and felt Goody’s fingers touch his, sending a little jolt down through his body.

He wanted to ask _‘why’_ again, if this really just was a case of Goody being generous and thinking Billy deserved nice things, or if it meant something more, and if so what? He had fallen quickly for Goody, and by now it felt like they had ridden together for a lifetime, but it hadn’t been that long, not even nearly.

They had met in July and that had been – he bit his bottom lip – twelve months ago, a whole year. He couldn’t remember the exact date, but he suddenly had the feeling that if he asked Goody, he would tell him it was exactly twelve months ago to the day.

Goody slid the hairpin into place, but he didn’t move, his fingers still touching Billy’s hair, one finger straying down to the nape of his neck.

“It’s been a year,” Billy said. He looked down at the box, and at the other remaining hairpin. “I didn’t–” he twisted around so that he faced Goody, whose hands dropped to his lap. “I didn’t get you anything.”

The smile Goody gave him was so gentle and warm, and it had Billy’s chest swell with emotions.

“I didn’t expect you to,” Goody said. “I’m just a sentimental fool.”

“Goody,” Billy said. Looking at him. Goody had left his hat on the other side of the fire, and Billy wanted to run his fingers through his hair, wanted to mess it up. 

He looked at that gentle smile on his lips and wanted to kiss them, and couldn’t think of a single reason for why he would ever resist the impulse. “If I’ve misread things, please forgive me,” Billy said in a rush.

“Don’t think you have, mon coeur,” Goody whispered, licking his lips so they glistened in the firelight.

Billy leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Goody’s lips, before pulling back when Goody groaned. He didn’t pull back far, just enough so that he sat there looking at Goody. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. When they moved, they both did in sync at the same time. Billy grabbed the back of Goody’s head, and he felt Goody’s hand at the back of his own head again. Grasping the bun, and they pulled each other into another kiss. This one open mouthed and sloppy, with tongue and moans that got swallowed up.

Billy pulled back, panting slightly, and looked at Goody who was flushed, eyes glittering. Goody pulled out the hairpin, and Billy’s hair came cascading down again, tickling his neck, and framing his face once more. He quirked an eyebrow at Goody who smiled and said,

“Beautiful,” in a reverent tone.

“Really, you put it up and then let it down again right away?” Billy asked.

“I will happily do this over and over again,” Goody said, smiling, and Billy smiled back at him. He ran both his hands over Goody’s head, carding his fingers through his hair, messing it up.

“Perfect,” he mumbled.

He was pulled into another kiss. Slow and hot, and heat curled in Billy’s stomach and it felt like he was soaring.

Eventually they made their way over to their bedrolls, pushing them together and lying down on their sides, trading kisses. Goody’s arm a headrest of the both. His other hand resting on Billy’s waist. Billy was cupping Goody’s cheek in one palm.

“Je t'aime,” Goody murmured, sending a shiver of pleasure down Billy’s spine.

“What does that mean?” Billy asked. Goody hesitated, looking into Billy’s eyes.

“I love you,” Goody said. Billy smiled, and leaned forward so close his lips brushed Goody’s.

“Then just say it in English,” Billy said.

“I–” he kissed one corner of Billy’s mouth. “–Love–” he kissed the other corner. “–You.” He kissed Billy, licking the seam of his lips, and Billy opened up for him. His heart beating fast and threatening to leap out of his chest.

This was, all he had wanted, he thought as he let himself be rolled over onto his back, with Goody over him, still kissing and kissing until they ran out of breath.

“Je t'aime,” Billy mumbled, when Goody pulled back a little for air, and Goody dove in for another kiss, and Billy laughed into it, so unbelievably happy, and wondering what he had done to deserve this. To deserve this wonderful gorgeous man who cared for Billy as much as Billy cared for him. He loved him, and Goody loved him back, and it seemed to good to be true, so he kept saying the words breathlessly between kisses and Goody repeated the words back to him, and there was a bubble of happiness inside of Billy’s chest, nearly bursting it was so full.

Maybe he was impulsive and reckless, with a dangerous sense of curiosity. But it was those three traits that had led to this. To him finding happiness and love. It had led to him no longer being alone and instead be together with a man Billy loved. Clearly it couldn’t be all wrong to be a bit impulsive sometimes.


End file.
